Improvement in harvesting-machines



'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY MARGELLUS, O'F AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT'IN HARVESTING-NIACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 23,85 l, dated May 3, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, H. MAncELLUs, of Amsterdarn, in the county of Montgomery and State of New York, have invented a new and usei'ul Improvement in the Construction of Grass and Grain Harvesters5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot' the same, reference heilig had to the annexed drawings, making a part ot' this specitication, in whichunderstand and construct my invention, I will' proceed to describe it.

A represents the iinger-bar, which is ot' malleable cast-iron', of the usual or any proper length. This finger-bar may be described as being of three partsa horizontal part, b, a vertical part, c, the latter being a ledge or iiange of scalloped form, as shown in Fig. 2, and another horizontal part, d, which projects from the top of part c, and has horizontal plates, e, projecting from it and forming, in conection with the upper surface of d, the bearing-surface for the sickle. The above-named parts are all cast in one piece, and the upper part ot' d and the plates e are planed perfectly true by any suitable metal-planing machine. rlhis work may be readily done.

On the front end of each plate e a small tenon, f, is formed. These tenons may be round, and they have a shoulder, g, at each side of them on the ends ot' plates e, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.. Y

B represents the fingers. These fingers are of the form most generally used, and are provided with forked or divaricated caps h'. The caps and iingers are both cast in one piece and are of malleable cast-iron. The inner ends of the fingers are curved or concave, and of such form as to correspond inversely with the front sides of the prominences of the part c of the finger-bar, against which they abut and are secured by screws t', which pass through the ledge or part c ot the tinger-bar and into the fingers B, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The tenonsfof the plates e iitin the ngers at the front parts -ot' the caps, and the lingers are thereby tirmly secured to the finger-bar.

From the above description it will be seen that the finger-bar and lingers may not only be constructed at a small or moderatecost, but that the finger-bar may be finished with great facility for the reception of the sickle. All 'that is required to be done after the fingerbar lis taken from the mold and properly treated so as to be malleable is to plane the upper surfaces of e and d. This operation will insure a perfect working of the cutting device, and as the plates e form the bearingsurface for the sickle within the fingers, it willbe seen that the fingers are in a measure separated from the sickle or rendered more independent of each other than usual, for if a iinger is broken a new linger maybe immediately attached with the greatest facility. The tingers require to be made and adjusted perfectly true, as the sickle works within them or bears on their upper surfaces below the caps, and consequently the sickle cannot work well it' the fingers are n-ot attached and adj usted to the linger-bar With accuracy. Byl having the part o ot' the finger-bar ot' scalloped or corrugated forin, a requisite degree of' strength with lightness is obtained,and an opportunity is given any grass or grain that might chance to pass underneath the teeth of the sickle to pass or work out behind the part c.

l do not claim a finger-bar of angular form, nor angular clearing-edges upon a linger-bar, such features having been before employed; but

Vhat I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The corrugated iinger-bar cast with the cutting projections e, in combination With the detachable fingers B, constructed and applied in the manner and for the purpose speciiied.

HENRY MARGELLUS..

Witnesses:

' JAs. E. WARRING,

GEO. O. WARRlNG. 

